Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus shocks fans with retirement from elite swimming

Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus shocks fans with retirement from elite swimming

Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus shocks fans with retirement from elite swimming

BRISBANE, Australia — Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus has announced her retirement from elite swimming in a social media post that took Australian sports fans by surprise.

The 25-year-old Titmus, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, had been widely expected to return to competitive swimming following a break in the wake of the Paris Games and train for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

“I’ve always loved swimming, it’s been my passion since I was a little girl, but I guess I’ve taken this time away from the sport and realized some things in my life that have always been important to me are just a little bit more important to me now than swimming,” Titmus said in a video posted Thursday on Instagram. “And that’s OK.”

At the Paris Olympics last year, Titmus won the 400-meter freestyle to defend her title in a highly-hyped race against American great Katie Ledecky and Canada's Summer McIntosh.

All three had held the world record in the event at some stage.

In 2023, Titmus had surgery to remove two benign ovarian tumors but returned to the highest level quickly.

“Knowing now what I know, I wish maybe I enjoyed that last race a little bit more,” she said. “But I guess having this 12 months away I’ve had the chance to explore what life is like without swimming — and that was always my intention — but I think a turning point for me was in the lead-up to the Paris Games I went through some health challenges which, quite frankly, really rocked me.”

Titmus retires as the world-record holder in the 200 freestyle and with 33 international medals, including four gold, three silver and one bronze Olympic gold medals and four world titles.

She initially posted the news as a letter to her seven-year-old self.

“Today you retire from competitive swimming. 18 years you spent in the pool competing. 10 of those representing your country. You went to two Olympic Games and, even better, you won!!!” she wrote. “The dreams you had, they all came true. You achieved more than you ever thought you were capable of and you should be so proud.”

Australian Olympic Committee president Ian Chesterman praised Titmus for setting “amazing standards for the sport and those that follow.”

“Ariarne has always conducted herself so well out of the pool as well as in the pool," Chesterman added in a statement. “Someone who you talk about being an absolute champion, someone who has shown all the traits that you want in a young athlete, and who has achieved the ultimate success.”

In an earlier social media post, Swimming Australia congratulated Titmus for her “unwavering dedication to swimming in Australia and for inspiring us all around the world.”

swimming: /hub/swimming

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.